claudine bianchi

This morning, I opened my email and was once again bombarded with more than 300 messages. And yes, I’m using a spam filter! Occasionally — okay, rarely — a subject line will grab my attention, and I’ll open the email. If the content is compelling, I might actually read it. I appreciate that email is far from “dead,” but it’s not working the way it used to.

A lot of surveys and research out there suggest that the days of the salesperson is gone. And you know what? I agree. The role of the salesperson we have known is nearing extinction. Many golf courses are already experiencing the impact. Even cigar dealers in Cuba are feeling the pinch. As marketers, should we cheer? Pop open a bottle of champagne and celebrate the demise o ...

I’m off to exhibit at another trade show. I know this is typical within the job description of many a marketer’s day-to-day. Tasks like coordinating logistics, dealing with union guys, picking out carpet colors and wondering how anyone can charge $80 per day for a garbage basket are often the bane of our very existence. But truth be told, I love trade shows.

Let me start by saying that measuring MQLs (marketing qualified leads) is important, and, assuming you’re a savvy marketer, I’ll assume you know why. But nothing would please me more than killing the MQL. MQLs are a shackle. They are holding marketing back in ways that only someone at “the table” can fully understand, or at least that’s my opinion.

I recently presented to a group of marketing types about the alignment of sales and marketing. I was stunned — I mean absolutely stunned — that many had never had a discussion with their heads of sales. Some didn’t even know who the person heading sales was! I guess I would be less surprised if the group were all recent college grads, but there were some very seasoned market ...